Photo Album, Britain

Every visitor to London sees the front of Buckingham Palace, but for six weeks each year
during late August and September while the Queen is in Scotland, the Palace opens its doors to visitors,
allowing a unique view of the State Rooms and "back garden" of the monarch.

While the exterior is a bit unusual, the interiors of this Elizabethan manor house are nothing short of incredible.
As the home of an upwardly mobile family of landed gentry, the house reflects a pretension to
even greater grandeur and a desire to reflect that this was the home of significant people.
A bit out of the way for the average tourist, but certainly worth a visit if already in this part of England.
Click here to read an article I wrote about Gawthorpe.

There are actually two Hatfields... Hatfield House, seen here, and The Royal Palace of Hatfield.
Hatfield House, the more modern of the two buildings, is not actually modern at all, having been built in 1611 by Robert Cecil,
the 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I. Today, the house is still home to the 6th Marquess of Salisbury,
and is not only boasts stunning interiors and exterior, but amazing gardens and parkland.
Less than 30 minutes outside of London, this is definitely a must see. Click here to read an article I wrote about Hatfield.

There are actually two Hatfields... Hatfield House and The Royal Palace of Hatfield, seen here.
The Palace, the older of the two buildings (c. 1497), is today only the remains of Queen Elizabeth I's girlhood home,
and consists of the Great Hall where she held her first Council of State after her accession to the throne in 1558,
and a beautiful knot garden. Click here to read an article I wrote about Hatfield.

Perhaps more widely known as the former home of Charles Dickens, Rochester's history goes back a bit farther... about 900 years farther.
The castle, with stunning views of the river Medway, was originally built by the Normans and is still today one of the tallest keeps in England.
Although the castle is in ruins, English Heritage has turned the extensive grounds into a pleasure garden and has enabled visitors
to tour the castle from the dungeon right up to the wall-walk and battlements.

Rochester Cathedral, about as old as the castle next door, still holds church services.
The two towering buildings were deliberately built side-by-side to serve as the symbols of Church and Crown.
Nearly a millennium later, they still make a deep impression.

More than 2000 years old and hidden from view until the 1700s, the Roman Baths and Pump room in Bath are simply awe inspiring.
The technology employed by the Romans to harness the healing powers of the natural hot springs in nothing short of genius.
If you're a brave soul, you can even taste the waters in the Pump room, although, personally, the smell was enough to keep me away!
While Bath offers an incredible number of attractions for visitors, including some of my personal favorites,
such as the Jane Austen Museum, The Museum of Costume, and No. 1 Royal Crescent, the Roman Baths are the definitive highlight.

Until 1975, the Isle of Bute, not far across the water from Largs, formed one half of its own country.
Its main town, Rothesay, is but a sad remnant of its glorious past as a seaside resort, although
Rothesay Castle is definitely worth a visit. Incidentally, one of Charles, Prince of Wales's subsidiary titles is Duke of Rothesay.

Taken from the Golden Gallery of St Paul's Cathedral, 280 feet above the church floor.
The Millennium Bridge is also known as the Wobbly Bridge because it was so unstable when it first opened they had to close it down.

Just a teeny little place in the English countryside with a few distinct connections... Actually, Blenheim (the largest private residence in England)
and the extensive land it rests on were made possible by the generosity of Queen Anne when she granted the land and £240,000,
as well as the Dukedom of Marlborough, to John Churchill and his wife Sarah in 1705. Today, the 11th Duke still lives at Blenheim.

The island of Great Cumbrae is only four miles long and two miles wide, the island's only real town is Millport,
but the whole island has an incredible appeal and incredible views of the mainland and surrounding River Clyde.

Lovers of Arthurian Legend have come to believe that Glastonbury was King Arthur's Camelot.
Their theory is bolstered not only by the grave on the site of the ruined Glastonbury Abbey where the bones of King Arthur
and Queen Guinevere are said to lay, but also by the Glastonbury Thorn tree, which is not native to England,
but is said to have descended from the walking-staff that Joseph of Arimathea stuck into the ground.
Each year at Christmas, the Queen of England receives a cutting from this tree in remembrance of the birth of Jesus.
Whether reality or fantasy, it is true that the first church on the site of Glastonbury Abbey was indeed built in 633
and continued to grow until King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and the Abbey fell into disrepair.
The Abbey is now owned by the Church of England and is a wonderful place to visit.

Cardinal Wolsey may have proven himself rich enough to build this grand palace,
but he certainly didn't prove very bright when he broke one of the cardinal (no pun intended) rules of power -
never outdo your benefactor, especially when he's also an envious king.
So maybe Wolsey had it coming when Henry VIII confiscated Hampton Court Palace
from Wolsey and subsequently sentenced him to death.

The childhood home of Anne Boleyn, ill-fated second wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I,
Hever Castle still gives the visitor a keen sense of what life was like in Tudor times -
that is, if you don't knock yourself out on a low doorway first!
Complete with a moat, drawbridge and portcullis, garden maze and extensive grounds,
everyone can find something they like here. There's even an American connection...
one side of the Astor family settled here in the early 20th Century and soon became
part of the English peerage, which just goes to show that money may not buy happiness,
but it can buy an old castle and aristocratic title. Click here to read an article I wrote about Hever Castle.

Osborne House, on the Isle of Wight, was the favored country retreat of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
and is where Queen Victoria died in 1901. Magnificent as it is, it is less a palace than a home, built and designed for the many children,
grandchildren and great-grandchildren that populated the Queen's long life.
Family portraits are hung in every room and Prince Albert's sitting room is still almost just as it was when he died.
It is also home to the famous Durbar Room, the fabulous state room the Queen built after becoming Empress of India.
Click here to read an article I wrote about The Swiss Cottage, the royal children's playhouse on the Osborne estate.

A view of Buckingham Palace in London, taken from the garden